Oakland: Store employee pistol-whipped during robbery

OAKLAND -- A gunman robbed two employees at an Eastlake sign store Wednesday morning, with one staffer hospitalized after being severely pistol-whipped, police said.

The robbery netted the suspect less than $30, according to police. The suspect entered Lee's Signs at 845 E. 10th St. just after 9 a.m., and after a brief conversation produced a gun and robbed the two employees.

It was not known if the man who was pistol-whipped had resisted, but he was taken to the hospital for head injuries, police said.

The other employee was unharmed. The suspect was described as a black man in his 30s, about 6 feet tall with a thin build and short hair, wearing a black jacket and dark pants.

He was last seen fleeing on foot on Ninth Avenue.

Police and CrimeStoppers of Oakland are offering up to $2,500 for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information may call police at 238-3326.